Sternlicht



Feb. 28, 1956 L. s'rERNLlcHT 2,736,028

SHOCK SHIELD CUSHION FOR BASEBALL GLOVES Filed Dec. 14, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l zT/ z S M l .INVENTOR s, LARRY STERNLICHT J6 m maxxrmu o,

Armar/v5? Feb. 28, 1956 l.. s-rr-:RNLlcHT 2,736,028

SHOCK SHIELD CUSHION FOR BASEBALL GLOVES Filed nec. 14. 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 wy, l/L. .ff/dl 11111111114 IN VEN TOR. LARRY STERN LICHT United States Pate-titv SHOCK SHIELD CUSHION FOR BASEBALL GLOVES Larry Sternlicht, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application December 1 4, 1953, Serial'No. 397,969

7 Claims. (Cl. 2i19) This invention related to glovesused byv baseball players.

and, more particularly, has reference to` abaseball glove which, though of generally conventional construction, is provided interiorly with a shock shield which is adapted to cushion the shock incurred when a ball is caught therewith.

When a ball traveling at substantial speed strikes the pocket provided therefor in a baseball glove, the impact stings the players hand, in many instances, and serious discomfort is incurred over the course of a game, as a result. It is well known, in` this connection, thatthe pocket should be unpadded, or padded toa minimum extent, to facilitate catching and retention of the ball. T his complicates the problem of cushioning the impact, since shock absorbent cushions are in general formed with padding material or other relatively thick material tending to thicken the pocket to an undesirable extent.

The main object of the present invention, in view of the above, is to provide a shock shield for baseballgloves which will not change the construction or operating characteristics of the normally unpadded glove pocketwhen a ball is caught, but which will nevertheless provide a cushion for the portion of ones hand disposed in back of the pocket, with the cushion having a high rate of absorption as regards the shock suffered on impact of the ball against the glove.

Another important object is to provide ashock shield as stated which will be so designed as to permit its incorporation in a baseball glove without requiring modification or redesign of the glove.

Another object is to provide a shock shield so formed, and so located in the glove, as to position ones hand away from the area of impact.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material -part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view looking at-the back of a glove or mitt equipped with a shock shield formed in accordance with the present invention, a players hand being shown in chain-dotted outline.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the shock shield per se.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the shieldin which it is shown from the end opposite that of Fig. 2,.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View through the shield and associated portion of the glove, taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through the shield and adjacent portion of the glove, taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 1, a ball being shown in full lines as it appears immediately prior to striking the glove, and in dotted outline after striking the glove.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified form.

2,736,028 Patented Feb. 28, 1956 ice Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 showing the Fig. 6 form mounted in a glove.

Fig. 8 is an enlargedy sectional view on line 8--8 of Fig. 7.

The reference numeral 10 has been applied generally in the drawing to designate a baseball glove or mitt. The

- glove is of basically conventional design, and includes a thumb part 12, webbing 14, and linger parts 16, 18, 20 and 22. The back of the glove has been designated at 24 and the front at 26, the front being indented at the base of the webbing, between the thumb and index finger parts 12, 16 to provide a pocket in which a thrown or batted ball B may lodge when caught'.

The shock shield has been designated generally at.28, and includes a back piece 30 of comparatively soft leather or the like, which back piece is formed to a generally semicircular outer configuration, asbest shown in Fig. 3; The curved portion of the edge of the back piece is turned upwardly throughout its length to provide a flange 32 secured to a flexible wall member 34 by stitching 36. The wall member extends throughout the length of the curved portion of the edge ofthe back piece, with the ange of the back piece being secured to the wall member in closely spaced relation to one longitudinal edge ofthevwall member.

Covering the entire outer surface of the wall member is a flexible cushioning piece 38, the stitching 36 passing therethrough. The cushioning piece, in a preferred embodiment, can bea piece of hide having a furry pad 40 thereon. Pad 40 is of lambs wool or some similar shock absorbent material, and as will be noted from Figs. 2 and 4, the pad is inclined transversely and provided with an indentation between its upper and lower edges, thereby to provide a comfortable rest for a hand H that will fit the contour of that portion of the hand in back of the glove pocket, that is the crotchportion defined between the thumb and index linger (see Fig. 1).

As will be noted, the completed shield is inserted between` the back and front panels 24, 26 of the glove, andV is stitched, throughout the length of the lower longitudinal edges of the wall member 34 and cushion piece, to the front panel, by stitching 42. Further, an arcuate series of openings 44, arranged in spaced pairs, register with openings 46 formed in the back panel, and extending through the registering openings, are leather thongs 48; One thong is provided for each pair of openings 44, the ends of the thong being knotted exteriorly of the glove (Fig. 4).

Considering as the front that portion of the shield stitched to the front panel 26 of the glove, it will be noted that the shield has an open front, and further, is open at one end. As a result, there is defined between the front panel 26 and back piece 30 a cavity'located immediately in back of the ball-receiving pocket of the glove.

In use of the shield-equipped glove, the ball B strikes the pocket as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and indents the same to even a greater extent than the pocket is no1'- mally indented. This reduces the depth of the cavity during the time the ball is lodged in the glove. However, it is a highly important characteristic of the construction that the inward movement of the ball and front panel is halted before the back piece 30 or cushioning pad is reachedand it will thus be seen that the hand suffers little or no stinging from the impact. It may be observed,in this regard, that the wall member 34, though exible, is not noticeably so, and has suiiicient stiffness inherent therein to assure against inward 'movement of the front pane into full engagement with the back piece or the cushioned hand rest.

As seen in Figure 1, the the area of impact. positions the palm of hand is positioned way from Therefore, the shock shield in effect the hand, preventing it from entering the area where the glove is struck by the ball. r[his arrangement is distinguished from that of conventional gloves, in which ones hand tends to move into said area.

In Figures 6-8, there is shown a modified form wherein the back piece 30 of the shock shield is omitted, and wherein, further, the cavity of the shock shield is filled with hair or equivalent padding material. In this form, there is provided an arcuate, furry pad 52 shaped substantially the same as the pad 4f). In this form, however, the pad may have one end extended slightly relative to the other end as shown in Figures 6 and 7, to extend the shield a greater distance up the finger part 16 of the glove.

The hide portion of the pad 52 is stitched to a leather wall member 54 by stitching 56 extending longitudinally of said member at the opposite longitudinal edges thereof. Stitching 58 is also applied, extending through the lower longitudinal edges of the hide portion and wall member and palm base or front 26 of the glove.

Longitudinally spaced pairs of opening are formed in the pad and member 54, and extending through the openings of each pair is a leather thong 62, which is used to connect the upper edge portion of the shield to the back panel 24 of the glove, the construction difiering in this respect from the first form, in which the thongs pass through the back piece 3f).

cushioning paid secured thereto, said shield additionally including a generally semicircular back piece secured peripherally to the wall member, the back piece being secured to the back panel of the glove, said back piece being formed with a marginal series of openings, the connection of the back piece to the back panel comprising thongs extending through said openings and back i panel.

Filling the cavity of the shield is hair 60 or other cushioning filling material.

In this form, as in the first form, the shield positions the hand away from the area of impact, and prevents movement of the hand beyond a point shown in dotted outline in Figure 1.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. The combination, with a baseball glove having front and back panels, of a shock shield interposed between said panels and including a cushioning paid proportioned to t the contour of the crotch defined between the thumb and index finger of a hand inserted in the glove, said shield further including an arcuate wall member set edgewise between the panels and having the cushioning pad secured thereto, said shield additionally including a generally semicircular back piece secured peripherally to the wall member.

2. The combination, with a baseball glove having front and back panels, of a shock shield interposed between said panels and including a cushioning pad proportioned to t the contour of the crotch defined between the thumb and index finger of a hand inserted in the glove, said shield further including an arcuate wall member set edgewise between the panels and having the cushioning pad secured thereto, said shield additionally including a generally semicircular back piece secured peripherally to the wall member, the back piece being secured to the back panel of the glove.

3. The combination, with a baseball glove having front and back panels, of a shock shield interposed between said panels and including a cushioning pad proportioned to fit the contour of the crotch defined between the thumb and index finger of a hand inserted in the glove, said shield further including an arcuate wall member set edgewise between the panels and having the 4. The combination, with a baseball glove having front and back panels, of a shock shield interposed between said panels and including a cushioning pad proportioned to fit the contour of the crotch defined between the thumb and index finger of a hand inserted in the glove, said shield further including an arcuate wall member set edgewise between the panels and having the cushioning pad secured thereto, said shield additionally including a generally semicircular back piece secured peripherally to the wall member, the 'back piece being secured to the wall member along a line extending longitudinally of the wall member between the opposite longitudinal edges thereof.

' 5. The combination, with a baseball glove having front and back panels, of a shock shield interposed between said panels and including a cushioning pad proportioned to fit the contour of the crotch defined between the thumb and index finger of a hand inserted in the glove, said shield further including an arcuate wall member set edgewise between the panels and having the cushioning pad secured thereto, said shield additionally including a generally semicircular back piece secured peripherally to the wall member, the back piece being secured to the wall member along a line extending longitudinally of the wall member between the opposite longitudinal edges thereof, close to that longitudinal edge of the wall member remote from the front panel.

6. The combination, with a baseball glove having front and back panels, of a shock shield interposed between said panels and including a cushioning pad proportioned to fit the contour of the crotch defined between the thumb and index finger of a hand inserted in the glove, said shield further including an arcuate wall member set edgewise between the panels and having the cushioning pad secured thereto, the wall member being formed of a stiff but fiexible material so as to define a cavity between the panels into which the front panel may be forced under the impact of a ball striking the glove, said cavity opening at one end into communication with the interior of the glove.

7. For use with a baseball glove having front and back panels, a shock shield comprising a generally C-shaped. cushioning piece, said shield having a back piece of semicircular Vconstruction transverse to the plane of the cushioning piece and within the peripheral walls thereof, a ange along the edge of said back piece, a flexible wall member between the back piece and cushioning piece, means for securing said tiange to said flexible wall member, and means on said back piece for securing it to a baseball glove, said latter securing means cornprising a plurality of apertures and tying thongs in said apertures for connection to a glove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,797,116 Borden Mar. 17, 1931 2,521,488 Smith Sept. 5, 1950 2,672,611 Tompkins Mar. 23, 1954 

